EuropeAN Regional CONFERENceS

Annual meetings are held in each of the regions to continue the work of the previous forum and to plan for the upcoming one. It is also a great opportunity to meet with fellow yacht clubs in the region without having to travel the sometimes international distances. The meetings take two days, often over a weekend, and are a good way to introduce junior flag officers to the ICOYC process.

Each of the regional meetings are presented in detail in the table below. Pull down on the tab to read the conference report or reports and take a look at the conference arrangements and delegate housing.

European REGIONAL CONFERENCE - 2017
13-15 OCTOBER 2017

All ICOYC Members are Invited to the European Regional Conference

As you are aware, the ICOYC Regional Conference will take place in Marseille on Friday October 13th and Saturday October 14th 2017.

On behalf of the Société Nautique de Marseille and on behalf of the City of Marseille we have the pleasure to invite you and your guest and/or member of your senior staff to participate to the forum.

We are in the process of finalizing the topics for panel discussion where we propose a topic around sailing heritage as a vehicle to interest the young generation and to develop relationships and shared visions with the authorities: any comment or suggestion on this or for any other topic is welcome before September 15th.

We are also preparing a social program within walking distance from the Hotel, located in the heart of le Vieux-Port,few minutes walk from amazing historical locations, the prestigious MUCEM Museum exclusive shopping mall overlooking the sea, and much more including a special event for the 130th anniversary of SNM.

The hotel is located at the heart of the “Vieux-Port” close to the SNM historic headquarters where we will hold our sessions and entertain you.

We enclose herewith the flyers for registration and coming program.

Yours sincerely,Pierre SATHAL

Commodore

Additional Information

Please address your questions, suggestions, and comments toEdith Frilet
Head of the Interclub and International Relationships Committee

Photos

Reports

Press Release by Royal Malta

Growth and Development of Yachting main discussion at ICOYC Regional Conference

The 5th International Council of Yacht Clubs (ICOYC) European Regional Conference, hosted by the Royal Malta Yacht Club concluded successfully following an intensive two days of fruitful discussions.

The Conference hosted delegates from some of the most prestigious European Yacht Clubs that form part of the Council, whose mission is to foster close relations, at Flag Officer and General Management level, between leading yacht clubs around the world.

Representatives from Germany, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Italy and the United Kingdom, as well as a guest delegate from the United States, attended what was described as a productive weekend where they had the opportunity to engage in discussions, networking and think tank exercises.

“This Conference was an excellent opportunity for the Royal Malta Yacht Club to engage in fruitful discussions and exchange of ideas, from which we believe the Club will be able to further improve its operations and what it offers to its’ members” commented Godwin Zammit, Commodore of the Royal Malta Yacht Club.

The Conference agenda saw local speakers contribute to the key areas of discussion, which included youth engagement, the growth of the J70 Class popularity as well as Club Management and the role of the volunteer versus the employed paid professional.Lengthy discussions also took place focusing on the traditional ways of communication and how social and digital Media are becoming an integral part of the way Clubs communicate to further strengthen their reach with members.

A challenge faced by all Clubs is Membership. Delegates discussed the various drives being undertaking to recruit younger blood to leadership positions without letting go of the traditions that is the essence of long established Clubs that form part of the Council.

The decision of the International Paralympic Committee to exclude sailing from the 2020 Games and onward was criticised by delegates. Many yacht clubs operate sailing programs for persons with a disability and results show that being active in such sports is exceptionally helpful for these persons to develop new skills away from their everyday life on dry land. The delegates agreed that they would work towards the possible reintroduction of sailing as a Paralympic sport for the 2024 Games.

"The Royal Malta Yacht Club did an outstanding job as a host. The delegates enjoyed exceptional hospitality and organisation, both from a discussion perspective and the social events. On behalf of the ICOYC, I would like to thank Commodore Godwin Zammit, the Club's Committee, members and staff for making this conference a success in every sense." said Gero Brugmann, Vice President of the ICOYC.

The 5th ICOYC European Region Conference was supported by Yachting Malta.

Wolfgang Weber, Delegate, Norddeutscher Regatta Verein

By invitation of Dr. Gero Brugmann, ICOYC Vice President Europe, delegates from the European member clubs met in Malta for this year’s European Conference hosted by the Royal Malta Yacht Club from Feb. 15 to 17, 2016.

The meeting focused on an exchange of ideas and opinions between the clubs. Topics discussed were questions of club management (employed versus voluntary staff), early involvement of young members in club affairs (race committee / management), more active participation of club members in general club life, communication with members and outsiders as well as cooperation and exchanges between member clubs (Premier Sailing League, youth exchange). These and other topics of mutual interest contributed to a lively discussion which all participants considered fruitful indeed.

In addition to that there was a review of the ICOYC Commodores Forum 2015 hosted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in Auckland / NEUSEELAND as well as a projection towards the upcoming Forum in September 2016 in Copenhagen / DENMARK to be hosted by the Royal Danish Yacht Club on occasion of their 150th Anniversary. Download the PDF of this article HERE.

Announcement

Should you not have registered yet, please be so kind to do so to enable the host club to make final arrangements.

Kind regards and looking forward to seeing you at Royal Malta Yacht Club

Gero

Save the Date - 16-17 January 2016 - for the 2016 European Regional ConferenceCommodore Goodwin Zammit of the Royal Malta Yacht Club announces the date for the 2016 European Regional Conference being held in lovely (and warm) Ta'Xbiex (near Valetta) on 15-17 January 2016. The announcement can be downloaded HERE.

Details

Conference programme to follow shortly

Conference scheduled to start on Friday afternoon and ends Sunday lunch time

We are including an excursion for ALL delegates on Sunday morning

A separate programme will be on offer to partners wishing to visit Malta during the Conference

Conference Fee of €150 for delegates and spouses includes two lunches and two dinners as well as transportation from hotel to conference and sightseeing venues

Report of Proceeding-

"Making the best of ICOYC for its Members"

A one-and-a-half days’ program attracted nine European ICOYC Member Clubs and one guest club to gather for the fourth ICOYC conference of the European Region in thenewly build clubhouse of NRV on the shore of Lake Alster.

NRV Admiral Gunther Persiehl, NRV President Andreas Christiansen and ICOYC Vice President-Europe Gero Brugmann welcomed the guests on Friday before a joint lunch in the clubhouse. Food quantities made it obvious that starvation would be the least likely issue for the representatives to run into in the next days.

All present rose to their feet to bid a heartfelt farewell to Dott. Paolo Caffarena, who passed away three days prior to the start of the conference. A Director of the Council, organizer of the 2014 ICOYC Elba and Corsica Cruise and host of the 2012 ICOYC European Conference in Genoa, Paolo was also a main pillar at his home club, Yacht Club Italiano, an enlightened club member who had the club burgee in his blood. The Hamburg conference was held in his memory.

ICOYC housekeeping, reports on the past Forum in Hong Kong and the Regional Conferences in the Americas and Asia/Pacific served as a warm up to the first presentation and discussion topic. Johan Hedberg, General Manager of KSSS in Stockholm, and Felix Oehme, NRV Rear Commodore Youth and winner of the first double-handed race around the globe in a Class 40, explained their cases of successful youth exchanges with St. Francis YC and Santo Amaro YC (Brazil), respectively. A lively discussion sparked around organizational matters, accommodation in guest families, integration into the host clubs or national racing program, the necessity to have a coach accompany the youngsters, and the final question whether a club can afford to "do something good for some v. a lot of effort for only a few". An all-positive general view of youth exchanges was obvious, but careful planning is necessary to produce successful exchanges with value to the host club and its membership as much as for the guests. John Stork as chairman of the Interclub Activities Committee presented on further exchange possibilities between clubs and widened the focus on many kinds of exchanges, beyond youth to traineeships, crew exchanges and others.

After fruitful discussions and exchanges, representatives, spouses, NRV President Andreas Christiansen with his wife Carla, NRV Rear Commodore Offshore Alexander Prinz zu Schleswig-Holstein and NRV Rear Commodore Youth Felix Oehme united to conclude day one of the conference with a dinner in Hamburg’s historic warehouse district.

“Making the best of ICOYC for its clubs’ individual members” served as the opening topic of day two. With a largely open agenda discussion quickly focused on communication. ICOYC-related communication is currently focused on information about member clubs and ICOYC events. The group pin-pointed the need for specific communication to individual members as a key to gain interest among the wider membership and make ICOYC more visible. The key interest is accommodation opportunities, crewing in races and bar evenings for those who visit a city with a members club, and access requirements and guest memberships for those who stay for a longer period. While club leadership is interested in the exchange of strategic information, for the individual members it is the “simple but important things”. Gstaad YC and NRV gave examples of one page club information sheets they provide to visitors.

After a cooling-down break, a guided tour of the newly built clubhouses filled the agenda until lunch. The once small and dated 1950s building on the lakeshore was completely re-built and extended with underground facilities for boat maintenance, youth schooling, storage and kitchen facilities. The re-constructed building above surface now hosts a considerably larger restaurant and bar, events, conferencing and administration area with terrific views over the lake towards the city.

After lunch, a presentation on the upcoming ICOYC Commodores’ Forum in Auckland revealed registrations or firm plans by 6 European clubs, which is a good turnout from the region most afar from the venue. John Stork presented on the post-Forum cruise on the Hauraki Gulf and the host club Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron provided flyers and information material for distribution in all member clubs.

The afternoon session on league sailing commenced with KDY’s general manager Christian Lerche. Germany had introduced a national sailing league in the fashion of European soccer leagues, and with Denmark instituting its own national league this year, a European Champions League event was held in Kopenhagen. 18 clubs competed in 4 Friday-to-Sunday events in J/70 boats to find the leading Danish National Sailing league clubs.

Thereafter, Oliver Schwall, owner of a Hamburg-based media agency and one of the fathers of the sailing league system, presented on the story of league sailing in Germany. The concept was rather simple: the soccer league system was copied into sailing. Instead of 22 people on a lawn, 6 boats competed on the water. The buzz-words of “premier league” and “second league”, ”club”, “national qualification” and “relegation” describe what the media is used to. The format uses fleet racing in one designs (J/70) which was found preferable to match racing or other formats that are rule-intensive and hard to understand while watching. 6 to 12 minutes per race keep intensity and allow a series of races per day even in less optimal conditions. The other key to success was that the yacht clubs were in the focus of attention. While individual sailor’s names rule the known formats, clubs compete in league sailing, even with changing crew through the series. Media attention was extremely high from the start in 2013, and the clubs found themselves on the focus of reporting. While 18 German clubs participated in the 2013 national league events, it was 61 clubs applying in 2014. The second league was instituted to serve the demand and the relegation process was a nationwide event. On the water coverage and live streaming by media-partner SAP helped to create “public”-viewing events in the various clubs, bringing the membership together to follow their club competing for points and places.

For the club crews, competing is designed as ”handbag sailing”. Participants need to bring no more than their sailing gear. Boats are changed after every race and rig trimming is not allowed. The boats are provided by the league. The deal for seven J/70s turned out to be a success story for Northern German J-Boats dealer. Since the league started, they sold over 70 boats and made it a major class in Germany within one year. Sponsoring deals with Audi and SAP provided the financing for the boat and media equipment.

The representatives retired to their hotel to refresh for the final dinner in the NRV clubhouse main event room. The dinner gave ample time for representatives, spouses and NRV flag officers to deepen the discussed topics as much as friendships. Ad hoc speeches and spontaneous singing performances made the dinner eventful, followed by more in-depth conversation at the bar.

The night showed mercy with the return to standard time and with an extra hour of sleep, the steadfast re-united on Sunday morning for the Hamburg boat show “hanseboot”. A welcome and coffee at the NRV exhibition stand was the time to say goodbye and look forward to seeing each other in Auckland or the venue of the next European conference.

Gero Brugmann

ICOYC Vice President-Europe

Presentations

The PDF file downloads shown in the table below are of the presentations made at the 2014 European Regional Conference. The downloads are restricted to logged-in members only. If you are a member of an ICOYC club without a login username, contact your club's Representative for approval to be given a username and password. The names of Representatives are shown in the Member Clubs page. If you already have a username login, but are having problems with access, send a message to WebEditor@icoyc.org. Click on the presentation title to start the download.

A review of how 23 countries are participating in Europe's Sailing Champions Leaguewith support from the various National Sailing Leagues. The League uses matched boats ofJ/70 and B/One styles. Business partners are sponsoring the league.

Report on how the Danish Sailing League functioned during 2014. Four events were held with practices on Friday morning, with events staged over the weekend. Partnerships with sponsoring companies provided good media participation.

KSSS/Royal Swedish YC in Stockholm partnered with St Francis YC in San Francisco to have a youth sailor exchange in Stockholm to participate in the Swedish Youth Championship. St Francis sent six sailors and one coach. Differences in coaching techniques were found and some of the take-away points are very useful.

Norddeutscher Regatta Verein partnered with YC Santa Amaro of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in a young sailor exchange. The NRV Youth Section has 250 participants and several training camps. NRV sent 2 teams for 420s and a coach to Brazil. The organizational details and problems are well documented.

Also, a press release for the Champions League of the Sailors can be downloaded HERE. .

The meeting was opened by ICOYC Vice President-Europe Gero Brugmann of NRV/Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, after lunch on Dronningen Island, a small island (or large rock (skerry)) in front of the KNS clubhouse on the mainland. Attending member clubs included Brussels Royal YC (Brussels), KDY/Royal Danish (Copenhagen), KNS/Royal Norwegian (Oslo), KSSS/Royal Sweden (Stockholm), NRV/Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (Hamburg), NYK/Nyländska Yaktlubben (Helsinki), Royal Southern (Hamble), VSaW/Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee (Berlin). Société Nautique de Marseille (Marseille) and Yacht Club Italiano (Genoa) were missing because of schedule conflicts and illness. North America was represented by Seattle Yacht Club. Representatives from Göteborgs Kunglinga Segel Sällskap (GKSS) was there as a guest club and Norges Seilforbund (Norwegian Sailing Federation) as observers. In all, 14-16 people were in attendances. During the rest of the afternoon, short presentations led to more lengthy round-table discussions on ICOYC’s status in Europe (and the world), potential new roles for the organization, how to recruit new clubs as members, and how we can help facilitate better communications between ICOYC and the general membership of its member clubs. The closing session was an informative overview of Norway’s economy and its economic drivers, given by Bernt Christian Brun of the Danske Bank. The end of the day’s sessions was marked by drinks and a dinner at the club’s restaurant on Dronningen Island. It was a long day, particularly since several of the delegates had started traveling before 5:00 am.

Saturday dawned brightly in Oslo and it was much warmer than in Newport, two weeks earlier. The morning sessions focused on how the European clubs worked with their national sailing federations. We had an overview of how the smallish Norwegian Sailing Foundation contrasted with the larger and better funded Swedish and German Sailing Foundations. Option was expressed that the national sailing foundations are a bit disconnected from the leading national yacht clubs. The principle issue is that the yacht clubs are the source of the junior sailors and that the national organizations were not working well with the clubs and their training programs. Allocation of scarce funds between the various sports within the country is a major point of contention.

The next session, sponsorship, was a natural follow-on to the funding problems discussed above. The Big Five group of Scandinavian sailing clubs are working together to coordinate sponsorship of sailing events across the region. They are finding that major sponsors are much more likely to sponsor events if they can be promised a consistent set of high quality venues across the region and the corporate-level decision makers are more interested in regional events than in solely local events.

11 Clubs & 22 Delegates have a fantastic Conference!

Yacht Club Italiano were magnificent hosts of the ICOYC’s second European regional Conference. All but two of the 11 European member clubs were represented, and the Yacht Club de Monaco attended as a guest club. Bob Miller, the ICOYC IT and website mastermind, also came all the way from Seattle YC to take part in the conference – and to enjoy Italy.

Carlo Croce, President of Yacht Club Italiano, welcomed the 22 representatives to Genoa and shared some tales about the club. Paolo Caffarena, YCI’s Special Events Director and Gero Brugmann, ICOYC Vice President (Europe), had jointly organized the conference and introduced the program. This started with a presentation on the host club, which was followed by a string of short presentations by all the clubs present, summarizing their news and recent developments. Led by Gero Brugmann, the representatives then discussed possible topics for the world-wide ICOYC Commodores’ Forum that will take place at Hamble, UK, in September. A brainstorming session on the Friday and further discussions on specific topics on the Saturday, showed that some issues covered in earlier conferences were still of interest in 2012.

At the same time new subjects came up that could usefully be considered in a wider forum. Among these was the extent to which clubs now need to undertake administrative work that is less related to the sport, raising the question of how they should focus better on the sailing side. Developments with classic yachts was thought to be another new topic that the Council could consider. Classics form a lively aspect of yachting today, with many wonderful events, and they also offer exciting, and different, sailing opportunities. It was mentioned that having the chance to sail on a classic could be a possible reward for volunteers. The whole subject of recruiting and retaining volunteers, with appropriate rewards for the helpers, led to considerable discussion.

Some clubs reported on their creative programs to retain volunteers and make them more proud of their contribution for their club: there was much to learn from the different approaches of the member clubs in the International Council. Other topics generated interest and could be considered further during the Hamble Commodores’ Forum. These included more intense discussion about the management of club fleets, following on from the fleet acquisition presentations that were an important part of the Seattle Forum. We also touched on use of new media (Facebook, Twitter, etc) and, of course, the evergreen subject of how to retain the club members aged between 20 and 35.

Our intense working sessions were fitted into a magnificent display of hospitality by YCI and its flag officers and members. Paolo Caffarena had lined up well-suited hotel accommodation in the old city center of Genoa, memorable lunches and a dinner from the excellent YCI kitchen. The ‘optional’ program – after our discussions were over - including a guided visit to the Galata Museo del Mare (including the Beppe Croce Collection of paintings), a harbor cruise, and the extraordinary experience of a gala dinner in the Palazzo della Meridiana, a magnificently refurbished Genovese palace owned by a YCI member. Once more there was wholehearted camaraderie amongst the Council’s member club representatives, some of whom have been involved since the foundation of the Council, so the Conference felt like a family reunion. The new representatives and guests quickly made friends, showing that the business of yacht clubs is very much a ‘people’ business.

The Council is particularly grateful for Yacht Club Italiano’s outstanding friendship and hospitality, and especially thanks Paolo Caffarena and Stefania Rocca for their organization work.